On Gene Patenting

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Abstract
Certain breakthroughs — such as the discoveries of electricity, the atom, and DNA — transcend their time by redefining our world. But the exact nature of the transformation is never known with certainty at the outset. This has been the case with the biologic revolution, and in particular with the ability it has conferred to define, recombine, and express at will the genes of virtually all living organisms. The discovery of a gene traditionally starts from a known protein with a defined biologic function or an inherited characteristic and works back to the cloning of the gene. This process has led to the discovery of the genes for tissue plasminogen activator, erythropoietin, and many other therapeutic agents. The molecular genetic defects responsible for cystic fibrosis, neurofibromatosis, and other inherited diseases have also been discovered, but the process is slow, expensive, and only sporadically productive.